As many of you know, I left my previous OB-Gyn Practice in 2001 to start a solo practice limited to gynecology.  I enjoyed obstetrics but longed for a more intimate setting to practice medicine. In short, I wanted a solo practice that would allow me to get to know my patients and tailor their care to their specific needs.  I knew I did not want to continue obstetrics in a solo practice setting, so Dianne C. Stone, MD, PC was started in August 2001 as a solo practice limited to gynecology.

In the summer of 2004 I spontaneously ruptured a disc in my cervical spine. This lead to a month away from the office, lots of pain and eventually spinal fusion surgery.  I've done beautifully since the surgery and I'm back to all my normal activities but it lead me to re-evaluate both my professional and personal life.  After a lot of thought (and a little angst), I decided to stop performing surgery. It was a difficult decision, but the possibility that the positions that are necessary in performing gynecologic surgery may have contributed to the ruptured disk led me to decide to stop operating.  But, as they say, as one door closes, another one opens.

I continue to offer traditional gynecologic care including well woman care and evaluation of problems like abnormal bleeding, abnormal Pap smears, PMS, breast lumps, pelvic pain and pelvic tumors. I help patients decide if surgery is the best answer to their condition and help tailor a surgery that fits their needs, referring them to a colleague that I know and trust to do their surgery. However, because I no longer do surgery, I've been able to move the practice in a new and very exciting direction.

Since the beginning, I've wanted to be able to offer a variety of services, not only aimed at treating disease but specifically intended to enhance health and prevent illness. To that end, we've expanded our practice to include bio-identical hormone balance, bone health, incontinence and sexual dysfunction. I've always been interested in the management of menopause and continue to educate myself in both western and eastern approaches to the care of women who are perimenopausal and postmenopausal. I am excited to be moving the practice in a new direction. Besides offering the traditional gynecologic care, I hope to make this practice into a midlife health center, addressing the total patient...the whole woman.  Please let me know what you think. This is a work in progress, and you are the most important part of the process.